Paperstone – Office life, work and fun

An office building that has been described as "the greenest in the UK" has been constructed in Leeds, reports the Western Mail.

The Innovate Property office, which was built for £5.5 million, has been awarded the highest-ever Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) rating.

Having taken five years to design, the building features rainwater toilets, recycled mobile phone panels, a green roof and 100 per cent recycled aggregate. Other office supplies were not mentioned.

It was built using 65 per cent and 80 per cent recycled cement and none of the rainwater it catches ends up in the mains sewers.

The building, which will house a number of office supplies, was designed by Cardiff-based Rio architects.

Richard Roberts, director of Rio, told the Paper: "The challenge for the design team on this project was to prototype an energy efficient building that would stand up to the scrutiny of the institutional funding markets.

"We have successfully avoided the need for expensive and inefficient ‘green jewellery’ or ‘green bling’, such as photovoltaic panels and wind turbines."

Such features are somes used to "badge" buildings as sustainable, added Mr Roberts.

The Innovate Property office building has "set a new benchmark for sustainability", he continued.

In one year, the building produces as much carbon dioxide as 16 houses, while most commercial buildings produce as much as 75.

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